Visceral Adipose MicroRNA 223 Is Upregulated in Human and Murine Obesity and Modulates the Inflammatory Phenotype of Macrophages

Obesity in humans and mice is typified by an activated macrophage phenotype in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) leading to increased macrophage-mediated inflammation. microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating inflammatory pathways in macrophages, and in this study we compared miRNA expression in the VAT of insulin resistant morbidly obese humans to a non-obese cohort with normal glucose tolerance. miR-223-3p was found to be significantly upregulated in the whole omental tissue RNA of 12 human subjects, as were 8 additional miRNAs. We then confirmed that miR-223 upregulation was specific to the stromal vascular cells of human VAT, and found that miR-223 levels were unchanged in adipocytes and circulating monocytes of the non-obese and obese. miR-223 ablation increased basal / unstimulated TLR4 and STAT3 expression and LPS-stimulated TLR4, STAT3, and NOS2 expression in primary macrophages. Conversely, miR-223 mimics decreased TLR4 expression in primary macrophage, at the same time it negatively regulated FBXW7 expression, a well described suppressor of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling. We concluded that the abundance of miR-223 in macrophages significantly modulates macrophage phenotype / activation state and response to stimuli via effects on the TLR4/FBXW7 axis.     

Elevated Progesterone Levels on the Day of Oocyte Maturation May Affect Top Quality Embryo IVF Cycles

In contrast to the impact of elevated progesterone on endometrial receptivity, the data on whether increased progesterone levels affects the quality of embryos is still limited. This study retrospectively enrolled 4,236 fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and sought to determine whether increased progesterone is associated with adverse outcomes with regard to top quality embryos (TQE). The results showed that the TQE rate significantly correlated with progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger (P = 0.009). Multivariate linear regression analysis of factors related to the TQE rate, in conventional IVF cycles, showed that the TQE rate was negatively associated with progesterone concentration on the day of hCG (OR was -1.658, 95% CI: -2.806 to -0.510, P = 0.005). When the serum progesterone level was within the interval 2.0–2.5 ng/ml, the TQE rate was significantly lower (P <0.05) than when the progesterone level was < 1.0 ng/ml; similar results were obtained for serum progesterone levels >2.5 ng/ml. Then, we choose a progesterone level at 1.5ng/ml, 2.0 ng/ml and 2.5 ng/ml as cut-off points to verify this result. We found that the TQE rate was significantly different (P <0.05) between serum progesterone levels < 2.0 ng/ml and >2.0 ng/ml. In conclusion, the results of this study clearly demonstrated a negative effect of elevated progesterone levels on the day of hCG trigger, on TQE rate, regardless of the basal FSH, the total gonadotropin, the age of the woman, or the time of ovarian stimulation. These data demonstrate that elevated progesterone levels (>2.0 ng/ml) before oocyte maturation were consistently detrimental to the oocyte.     

Characterization of genome-wide simple sequence repeats and application in interspecific genetic map integration in kiwifruit

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have been widely used in the construction of linkage maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping, and marker-assisted selection (MAS). The availability of the sequenced Actinidia chinensis (kiwifruit) genome allows for the inexpensive and efficient development of microsatellite markers. In this study, a total of 49,067 SSRs were identified and characterized in the genome sequences of kiwifruit. Dinucleotide repeats are the most abundant SSRs, with the AG/TC motif accounting for 44.2 % of all SSRs in the genome. Fifty-five newly derived SSRs, together with 46 previously available SSRs, were integrated into linkage maps of an interspecific kiwifruit population. In addition, eight sex-linked SSR markers (including one previously published SSR) were mapped in the sex-related region on the LG25, suggesting that recombination is partially suppressed to maintain dioecy in kiwifruit. The SSRs developed from this study are a valuable resource for kiwifruit genetics and will contribute to the use of MAS in early sex determination of dioecious plant breeding.     

3D Vertically Aligned and Interconnected Porous Carbon Nanosheets as Sulfur Immobilizers for High Performance Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

A unique nanostructure of 3D and vertically aligned and interconnected porous carbon nanosheets (3D‐VCNs) is demonstrated by a simple carbonization of agar. The key feature of 3D‐VCNs is that they possess numerous 3D channels with macrovoids and mesopores, leading to high surface area of 1750 m² g^?1, which play an important role in loading large amount of sulfur, while vertically aligned microporous carbon nanosheets act as the multilayered physical barrier against polysulfides anions and prevent their dissolution in the electrolyte due to strong adsorption during cycling process. As a result, the 3D hybrid (3D‐S‐VCNs) infiltered with 68.3 wt% sulfur exhibits a high and stable reversible capacity of 844 mAh g^?1 at the current density of 837 mA g^?1 with excellent Coulombic efficiency ≈100%, capacity retention of ≈80.3% over 300 cycles, and good rate ability (the reversible capacity of 738 mAh g^?1 at the high current density of 3340 mA g^?1). The present work highlights the vital role of the introduction of 3D carbon nanosheets with macrovoids and mesopores in enhancing the performance of LSBs.     

Self‐Assembled BiFeO3‐ε‐Fe2O3 Vertical Heteroepitaxy for Visible Light Photoelectrochemistry

Self‐assembled vertical heterostructure with a high interface‐to‐volume ratio offers tremendous opportunities to realize intriguing properties and advanced modulation of functionalities. Here, a heterostructure composed of two visible‐light photocatalysts, BiFeO₃ (BFO) and ε‐Fe₂O₃ (ε‐FO), is designed to investigate its photoelectrochemical performance. The structural characterization of the BFO‐FO heterostructures confirms the phase separation with BFO nanopillars embedded in the ε‐FO matrix. The investigation of band structure of the heterojunction suggests the assistance of photoexcited carrier separation, leading to an enhanced photoelectrochemical performance. The insights into the charge separation are further revealed by means of ultrafast dynamics and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. This work shows a delicate design of the self‐assembled vertical heteroepitaxy by taking advantage of the intimate contact between two phases that can lead to a tunable charge interaction, providing a new configuration for the optimization of photoelectrochemical cell.